Jimmy Savile blamed for council tax rise

More people are coming forward and making allegations and accusations and we are trying to follow them all up.

Norfolk’s police and crime commissioner Stephen Bett

Revelations over the sick DJ have triggered a surge in reports of sex abuse.

It has left police forces swamped with allegations to investigate, many of them dating back decades.

And the increased workload has left chief constables with no option but to recruit extra specialist staff.

But Norfolk Constabulary is the first force in the country to pass the cost on to taxpayers.

From April, households in the county will see their council tax bills go up by £3.65.

The increase will intensify public revulsion over Savile and his paedophile crimes.

Norfolk’s new police and crime commissioner Stephen Bett defended the move. He said the police share of the county council’s budget had to be increased.

“People are happy to come forward and talk to police because of what happened with the Jimmy Savile inquiry, “ he said.

“Because people have come forward other victims have felt confident to come forward and report their experiences many years ago. It is the same with domestic violence and rape. More people are coming forward and making allegations and accusations and we are trying to follow them all up.

“That is the main reason that the council tax will be going up.

“We are putting 10 new officers in the vulnerable people’s unit.”

The increase means that from April a Band D household will pay £200 a year towards policing.

Scotland Yard says 214 criminal offences have now been recorded against the former Top Of The Pops host across 28 police forces.

But as many as 500 people may have been abused by him.

The sick star, who died aged 84 in 2011, abused his victims at 14 sites including hospitals, mental health units and even a hospice.

The inquiry into the BBC’s handling of his abuse and the botched Newsnight documentary cost £2milliion.